Three Essential Lenses for Landscape and Travel Photography

The Key Lenses You Need

Based on my extensive experience and analyzing the metadata in Adobe Lightroom from over a decade in the industry, these three lenses stand out:

1. 24mm Tilt-Shift Lens
2. 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens
3. 100-400mm Lens

Each of these lenses offers unique capabilities that can enhance your photography, especially in landscape and travel settings.

24mm Tilt-Shift Lens: For Unique Perspectives

The Canon 24mm TS-E Mark II tilt-shift lens is essential for capturing cityscapes and architectural shots. This lens also allows for adjustments that help to create stunning vertical panoramas. When I was in Tokyo, being able to shoot from high observatories using this lens was a game-changer. Although you can fix vertical lines in software like Adobe Lightroom, nothing beats the quality and sharpness that this lens provides on-site.

• Shift Functionality: This allows you to correct perspectives naturally, avoiding converging verticals.
• Miniaturization Effects: While some use the tilt function for creating a miniature look, I primarily utilize the shift feature for various projects.
• Sheimpflug Principle: By tilting the lens forward you can change the plane of focus and elongate it. It’s not quite as flexible as large format cameras but it certainly gives you an edge.

Once you try a tilt-shift lens, it’s likely you’ll want one for your own collection.

24-70mm f/2.8 Lens: The Versatile Workhorse

The 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is often referred to as the go-to lens for many professional travel and landscape photographers. It’s particularly well-suited for travel photography due to its versatility.

• Wide Aperture: The f/2.8 aperture performs well in low-light conditions, making it perfect for indoor settings like cathedrals.
• Multiple Uses: This lens excels in capturing landscapes, travel portraits, and even astrophotography. Its ability to handle various styles makes it an invaluable tool. In the past, the lens was often referred to as the wedding photographer’s lens.

Carrying a 24-70mm in your bag allows you to adapt quickly to different shooting scenarios, ensuring you don’t miss important moments.

100-400mm Lens: For Detail and Compression

The 100-400mm lens is often associated with wildlife and sports photography, but it has significant applications in landscape and travel photography as well.

• Detail Capture: This lens helps pick out intricate details in landscapes, such as mountain features or rolling hills. It also helps to pick out architectural elements in urban settings.
• Travel Portraiture: I’ve effectively used this lens in a variety of countries for capturing travel portraits, especially in busy markets or festivals.

By being able to compress and isolate elements within a scene, the 100-400mm lens opens up creative possibilities that other lenses may not.

The Bonus: Extenders for More Reach

Adding a 1.4 extender to your camera gear can increase your reach without adding significant weight. This extends the 24mm tilt-shift to a 35mm and the 100-400mm to a formidable 140-560mm. While you lose a stop of light, the trade-off is often worth it for the extra range.

Managing Weight While Traveling

Professional photography gear can be heavy, but with the right selection, you can keep your load manageable. For example, my current camera system, including the 5D Mark IV and all three lenses, totals around 4 kg. This is light enough for most airline carry-on limits, which typically range from 7 kg to 12 kg depending on the airline.

Packing your camera bag efficiently means you can include essential items like spare batteries and a laptop while still staying under those all-important weight limits imposed by the airlines.

Conclusion

In summary, the three essential lenses for landscape and travel photography are the 24mm tilt-shift, 24-70mm f/2.8, and 100-400mm lenses. Each of these gives you unique capabilities that enhance both your landscape and travel photography experience. Whether you’re shooting cityscapes, portraits, or vast landscapes, having these lenses in your camera bag will prepare you for any scenario.